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| ===Comments about Hubbard Sr.=== | ===Comments about Hubbard Sr.=== | ||
| In a lengthy 1983 interview with '']'' magazine, DeWolf stated that ''"99% of anything my father ever wrote or said about himself is untrue."'' In the same interview, he said that his father had claimed to be ] incarnate, a ], a ] accomplice, and a drug addict. In his opinion Scientology would be little more than a ] that existed to make money. DeWolf later said the article contained ''"the false charge about my father and drugs ; the stories I had weaved about my childhood, and my father's so-called harassment and manipulation of others. In the past, I have said and written things about my father which I deeply regret and which caused him and me great pain. The Penhouse {{sic}} interview is an example. But Penthouse by its nature has a limited circulation and a dubious reputation."'' |
In a lengthy 1983 interview with '']'' magazine, DeWolf stated that ''"99% of anything my father ever wrote or said about himself is untrue."'' In the same interview, he said that his father had claimed to be ] incarnate, a ], a ] accomplice, and a drug addict. In his opinion Scientology would be little more than a ] that existed to make money. DeWolf later said the article contained ''"the false charge about my father and drugs ; the stories I had weaved about my childhood, and my father's so-called harassment and manipulation of others. In the past, I have said and written things about my father which I deeply regret and which caused him and me great pain. The Penhouse {{sic}} interview is an example. But Penthouse by its nature has a limited circulation and a dubious reputation."''{{fact}} | ||
| ===Sued by Mary Sue Hubbard=== | ===Sued by Mary Sue Hubbard=== | ||
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| ===Co-author of Hubbard biography, retracted=== | ===Co-author of Hubbard biography, retracted=== | ||
| DeWolf was named as co-author (with Bent Corydon) of the 1987 edition of a highly critical book about Hubbard and the Church of Scientology titled "". His author credit was removed from subsequent editions of the book and DeWolf soon called the parts referring to him ''"no more than wild flights of fantasy"'' and ''"to the extent that any portion of this book is based on my communications with Bent Corydon, whether written or oral, the book is inaccurate and false".'' Per affidavits Ronald DeWolf presented to a court in 1987 his knowledge about the doing of his father ] and the ] already ended in 1959 (Affidavit of May 20, 1987 and Affidavit of July 1, 1987). |
DeWolf was named as co-author (with Bent Corydon) of the 1987 edition of a highly critical book about Hubbard and the Church of Scientology titled "". His author credit was removed from subsequent editions of the book and DeWolf soon called the parts referring to him ''"no more than wild flights of fantasy"'' and ''"to the extent that any portion of this book is based on my communications with Bent Corydon, whether written or oral, the book is inaccurate and false".'' Per affidavits Ronald DeWolf presented to a court in 1987 his knowledge about the doing of his father ] and the ] already ended in 1959 (Affidavit of May 20, 1987 and Affidavit of July 1, 1987).{{fact}} | ||
| ===The critics' explanation of the retraction=== | ===The critics' explanation of the retraction=== | ||
Revision as of 04:51, 3 December 2008
Not to be confused with Roland De Wolfe. | This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources. Find sources: "Ronald DeWolf" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Ronald Edward DeWolf | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1934-05-05)May 5, 1934 Encinitas, California, United States |
| Died | September 16, 1991(1991-09-16) (aged 57) Carson City, Nevada, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Co-Author, L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman? |
Ronald Edward DeWolf (May 7, 1934 - September 16, 1991), born Lafayette Ron Hubbard, Jr., also known as Nibs Hubbard, was the eldest child of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and Hubbard's first wife, Margaret Louise Grubb.
Early life
In his 1983 interview with Penthouse magazine, Hubbard Jr. said he was born prematurely; his father constructed a makeshift incubator with a shoe box, later a cupboard drawer, and used blankets and an electric light bulb to keep the baby warm. He later said that his birth was actually the product of a botched abortion his father (Hubbard Sr.) attempted on his mother. Later, he said he regretted the Penthouse interview and that it contained "stories I had weaved about my childhood".
Contradictory relation with his father
Hubbard Jr. helped his father in the early days of Scientology but later rejected his father and Scientology, changing his name to Ronald DeWolf. On November 6,1982, in a Riverside, Calif., court, DeWolf sued for control of his father's estate, saying that his father was either dead or incompetent. His father was proved to still be alive, and when he died in 1986, he left his estate to the Religious Technology Center.
Comments about Hubbard Sr.
In a lengthy 1983 interview with Penthouse magazine, DeWolf stated that "99% of anything my father ever wrote or said about himself is untrue." In the same interview, he said that his father had claimed to be Satan incarnate, a con man, a KGB accomplice, and a drug addict. In his opinion Scientology would be little more than a cult that existed to make money. DeWolf later said the article contained "the false charge about my father and drugs ; the stories I had weaved about my childhood, and my father's so-called harassment and manipulation of others. In the past, I have said and written things about my father which I deeply regret and which caused him and me great pain. The Penhouse [sic] interview is an example. But Penthouse by its nature has a limited circulation and a dubious reputation."
Sued by Mary Sue Hubbard
In 1984, Mary Sue Hubbard filed a $5 million suit for fraud against DeWolf for his 1982 suit to gain control of L. Ron Hubbard's estate.
Co-author of Hubbard biography, retracted
DeWolf was named as co-author (with Bent Corydon) of the 1987 edition of a highly critical book about Hubbard and the Church of Scientology titled "L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman?". His author credit was removed from subsequent editions of the book and DeWolf soon called the parts referring to him "no more than wild flights of fantasy" and "to the extent that any portion of this book is based on my communications with Bent Corydon, whether written or oral, the book is inaccurate and false". Per affidavits Ronald DeWolf presented to a court in 1987 his knowledge about the doing of his father L. Ron Hubbard and the Church of Scientology already ended in 1959 (Affidavit of May 20, 1987 and Affidavit of July 1, 1987).
The critics' explanation of the retraction
In A Piece of Blue Sky former Scientologist Jon Atack writes:
Nibs accepted a financial settlement from the Scientologists after his father's death in 1986, agreeing not to make further comment.
In the updated revision of L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman?, Bent Corydon comments:
In the case of L. Ron Hubbard Jr.'s 1986 "legal settlement" with Scientology, he had accumulated sizable hospital bills due to recent emergency surgery. This left him weakened and heavily in debt. Concerned about the welfare of his family he finally agreed to a "settlement". This included his signing various prepared documents. I don't believe for a moment that Ron Jr. ever considered these prepared statements to be accurate representations of his thoughts and beliefs. The man was under duress.
See also
References
- Russell Miller, Bare-Faced Messiah, Chapter 4
- "Inside The Church of Scientology: An Exclusive Interview with L. Ron Hubbard, Jr.". Penthouse. 1983. Retrieved 2006-05-12.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Cite error: The named reference
affywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - Philadelphia Daily News, December 6, 1982.
- Miller, Russell (1987). [[Bare-faced Messiah]], The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard. Henry Holt & Co. ISBN 0-8050-0654-0.
{{cite book}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) Page 369. - Associated Press (1984-10-24). "Son of Church Founder Is Sued by Stepmother". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Atack, Jon, A Piece of Blue Sky (NY: Carol Publ. Group, 1990), ISBN 0-8184-0499-X, p. 147.
- Corydon, Bent, L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman? (Barricade Books, 1992), p. 423.
External links
- Penthouse interview with L. Ron Hubbard, Jr, 1983
- The 1982 Clearwater Hearings - video clips
- 20/20 1982
- Morning Break 1982
- PBS Late Night May 24, 1983, appears with Robert Vaughn Young
- The Fifth Estate November 1985
- Ancestry Database Records
| L. Ron Hubbard | |
|---|---|
| Life | |
| Founded | |
| Novels and novellas | |
| Short story collections | |
| Film | |
| Dianetics and Scientology | |
| Music | |
| Biographies |
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| Publishers' sites | |
| Family |
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